“Ecopreneur” award offering up to £40,000 for green entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs with eco-friendly business concepts are being encouraged to apply for the Shell Springboard competition, which has begun taking entries for 2012.

The competition, which awards no-strings grants of up to £40,000 for compelling business concepts tackling climate change, has been running since 2005 and has awarded more than £2m to 53 small businesses since then.

Run by Shell UK, the awards assess applicants’ business ideas based on their ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as taking into account the commercial viability and originality of the concept.

Previous winners include Cella Energy, which was awarded £40,000 last year for its invention of a hydrogen fuel capture system, and Ashwoods Automotive Ltd, which won a 2010 award after devising a new way to extend the lifespan of car batteries.

As well as the cash prize, winning the award offers small businesses the chance to raise their profile and attract new investment. Since winning its grant Cella has grown its business tenfold and has begun to expand globally, and Ashwoods’ award has stimulated £700,000 of new investment.

Speaking at the opening of the awards programme for this year’s ceremony, CEO of Cella Energy Steven Voller said: “Winning the Shell Springboard award was a huge boost to our business. It was an excellent platform to showcase our technology and helped us secure global investment. I encourage anyone with a good idea for tackling the climate challenge to enter the awards.”

Chairman of Shell UK Graham Van’t Hoff said of the award: “Small businesses are currently developing an abundance of low-carbon technologies. Shell Springboard offers no-strings financial awards to these businesses to progress their ideas and help these technologies come to fruition.”